Chapter 3: A Promise To Repay Today Kindness
"Brother Li, I appreciate your goodwill" Lu Changhe says with his eyes full of gratitude. His gaze reluctantly shifts away from the jade box as he speaks, "But the value of a Spirit Origin Pill is too significant. It seems that it was sent by your family specifically to help you break through to the Qi Refining Realm."
"By giving it to me today, I am truly unworthy of such kindness."
"It would be better for Brother Li to take it as soon as possible, perhaps enabling you to advance to the inner sect sooner."
Lu Changhe cannot deny that he desires the Spirit Origin Pill, but he cannot bring himself to delay Li Xun's progress into the Qi Refining Realm for his own selfish reasons.
Considering Li Xun's talent, he has a promising future ahead of him. Advancing to the Qi Refining Realm earlier would bring him under the attention of the elders.
It would be an unfavorable trade to hold back a genius for the sake of an ordinary person like himself.
Since Li Xun addressed him as Brother Lu, how could he, as a brother, cause more problems for his friend?
"Brother Lu, you worry too much," Li Xun's smile grows wider as he continues, "This pill holds little use for me now."
If the previous gift of the pill to Lu Changhe was merely due to the influence of the system, the current Li Xun is showing genuine sincerity.
After all, there are few who can resist the temptation of a Spirit Origin Pill and be persuaded by it instead.
If it were someone else, they might have eagerly taken the pill for themselves by now.
"Brother Li, could it be..." Lu Changhe's eyes flash with skepticism as he murmurs, "Could it be that you have already broken through to the Qi Refining Realm?"
Li Xun smiles but remains silent.
His actions undeniably confirm Lu Changhe's speculation.
"I see," Lu Changhe nods, having already figured out the situation.
After a brief pause, Lu Changhe raises his head once again, firm in his words, "Even so, this Spirit Origin Pill is still too precious."
"Brother Lu, do you not consider me a friend?" Li Xun suddenly asks in response.
"Brother Li, please don't misunderstand, I..."
Lu Changhe starts to explain, but before he can finish his sentence, Li Xun grabs the jade box and throws it directly at him.
To Li Xun, the jade box is insignificant, but for Lu Changhe, it holds great significance. After all, inside is the precious Spirit Origin Pill.
Lu Changhe quickly stands up and catches the box, afraid of dropping it to the ground.
Watching Lu Changhe receive the box, Li Xun calmly conveys his words, "Since Brother Lu has accepted it, I won't keep you any longer. You should hurry back and prepare to break through to the Qi Refining Realm."
After speaking, Li Xun immediately gets up to see his guest off.
Before Lu Changhe can react, he is pushed out of the door by Li Xun, and the young man could only stand outside of the door while feeling a bit dazed, his mind is blank due to what had just happened
Outside, as the cold wind blows, Lu Changhe looks at the jade box containing the Spirit Origin Pill in his hands and suddenly realizes, I actually accepted the Spirit Origin Pill?
This is a pill worth a hundred pieces of Mid-Grade spirit stones.
How did I, with my limited ability, deserve such a valuable pill from Brother Li?
Standing in front of Li Xun's door, while holding the jade box, Lu Changhe finds himself caught in a dilemma.
This favor , it was too significant for someone like him!
A small pill may mean nothing to Li Xun, but for Lu Changhe, it could potentially change his entire life's trajectory!
He wants to return it, yet deep down, another voice tells him to keep the pill.
After much struggle, Lu Changhe's gaze gradually becomes resolute.
He looks at the closed door and tightens his grip on the jade box, exerting a bit more force.
"When I break through to the Qi Refining Realm, I will be there for you, to repay your kindness!"
A soft whisper escaped from his lips.
It seems to be telling Li Xun and himself at the same time.
After leaving these words behind, Lu Changhe turns around and departs.
Inside the room, as Li Xun watches Lu Changhe's retreating figure, he murmurs, "Is this what the system meant by an unexpected surprise?"
By giving Lu Changhe a pill, on the surface, Li Xun only gains twenty years of cultivation. However, in the long run, he has also acquired a reliable friend.
Li Xun never doubts whether Lu Changhe will forget this favor or betray him.
After all, this is a cultivation world.
Betraying gratitude might not have immediate consequences, but it can become a significant problem in the future.
At best, it will lead to strained relationships, but at worst, it can give birth to inner demons. Once a cultivator is plagued by inner demons, it could result in a disastrous outcome.
Therefore, Cultivators often prioritize their commitments.
Once they make a promise, even if it means risking their lives, they will not frown.
"If I keep investing at this rate, won't I have friends in every realm?"
Li Xun strangely ponders in his mind.
With more friends in the future, as long as he gives the order, wouldn't his enemies be...
Thinking of this, Li Xun can't help but mourn for them in his mind.
"That's thinking too far ahead."
Li Xun brings his thoughts back to the right track and asks, "System, what about my twenty years of worth of closed door cultivation?"
[Ding, detected successful investment by the Host. Would you like to claim the twenty years of cultivation?]
"Yes!"
Li Xun answered the system in his mind, and yet, before the words even finish,
"Boom!"
A loud explosion occurs.
In Li Xun's room, a brilliant light suddenly bursts forth. From his dantian, an endless divine radiance erupts, accompanied by the roaring sound of a tsunami.
The true essence within Li Xun's dantian seems boundless, continuously surging and transforming into a Golden brilliance that illuminates the entire room.
The immense true essence flows through Li Xun's limbs and bones, causing a tremendous transformation in his body.
"Boom!"
In the depths of his being, a thunderous sound echoes as if some kind of shackles within him have been shattered. Li Xun feels a profound clarity within himself, as if ascending to immortality.
It is an intoxicating sensation!
Right at this moment, He knew that he had made a breakthrough.
If the Body Tempering Realm was about refining the body, then the Qi Refining Realm was about cultivating qi.
Stepping into the Qi Refining Realm represented stepping onto the path of longevity. Even in the early stage of the Qi Refining Realm, one could possess a lifespan of 150 years.
For ordinary people, doubling their lifespan was no small matter.
At this moment, after Li Xun broke through to the early stage of the Qi Refining Realm, his cultivation did not stagnate in the slightest. In just about fifteen minutes, there was another thunderous roar, and the pressure in the room increased several times over.
The Qi Refining Realm
Mid-stage!
At this stage, the power of the Qi Refining Realm had almost solidified into substance.
If a Body Tempering Realm cultivator stood here, they would likely be under immense pressure. The boundless pressure alone could force them to kneel.
Another two quarters of an hour passed.
Once again, a thunderous roar resounded.
The shackles of the late-stage Qi Refining Realm were also shattered!
In less than half an hour, Li Xun had completed three consecutive breakthroughs, leaping from the Tenth Level of the Body Tempering Realm to the late-stage of the Qi Refining Realm.
And his breakthrough had not stopped!
If this news were to spread, it would surely astonish many.
Another half an hour passed.
Li Xun's cultivation finally settled at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.
His strength no longer increased, and the sound of the surging waves in his dantian gradually diminished until it disappeared. The room finally quieted down.
Shortly after, Li Xun awakened, his eyes shining brightly. When he stood up, he appeared much more agile, exuding a touch of immortal aura.
With a thought, Li Xun pointed his finger, and a brilliant radiance burst forth, flying out of the window and striking a giant rock dozens of meters away.
Boom!
A deafening sound reverberated as the giant rock shattered, and dust filled the air, enveloping the entire courtyard.
"Is this the power of the peak of the Qi Refining Realm?"
Li Xun was deeply shaken.
With just a casual flick of his finger, he had only used three layers of his strength, yet those three layers were enough to crush his previous self!
"With a single finger, I can crush a cultivator at the Tenth Level of the Body Tempering Realm. The difference between two realms is truly incomparable."
Li Xun retracted his finger and looked at his current state.
He had already cultivated to the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. His dantian had expanded to a terrifying degree, filled with abundant and solid true essence, its power immeasurable.
Li Xun believed that, among his peers, there should be few opponents who could match him now.
"I haven't even used up all twenty years of cultivation. I still have about seven or eight years of cultivation left, transformed into reserves."
Li Xun withdrew his consciousness and muttered to himself.
The twenty years of cultivation, as he had anticipated, could indeed allow him to break through to the Spirit Connection Realm. The reason he hadn't broken through yet was because his cultivation technique was restricted.
He was currently practicing the unified Qi refining technique for the outer disciples of the Xuanyang Sect, which could only be cultivated to the Qi Refining Realm.
To continue his breakthrough, he would need to become an inner disciple, enter the Scripture Pavilion to select a cultivation technique, and then officially break through to the Spirit Connection Realm.
"The place for the inner disciple assessment and the place to receive the sect's offerings are on the same mountain peak. If there is still time, perhaps I can become an inner disciple today and then receive the inner disciples' stipend."
Li Xun glanced at the sky outside, pondering.
At this moment, the sun was about to set.
Whether he could make it or not, he would have to rush over and see.
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